Gibraltar News Online

The governing bodies for World and European Football, FIFA and UEFA are barring the Gibraltar Football Association’s membership of these organisations for some time now… Why?

In 2001, after years of continuous lobbying and preparation by the GFA council, headed by Joey Nunez, UEFA dealt a massive blow to the GFA’s efforts by keeping the issue of Gibraltar’s entry in abeyance until 2003. After their application had been favourably received, but before it had been determined, UEFA changed the rules so as to allow only national states for the future to be become members.

As far as I can gather, from the little research I’ve been able to do on the web, (not a lot of info is available out there on this subject) 2003 came and went and to date, we are still barred. Perhaps, someone, ideally from the GFA, can make a comment on what exactly is the present status?

So far as FIFA is concerned, in a Press Release dated 29th February 2004, an Executive Committee, Chaired by President Joseph S. Blatter, the FIFA Executive Committee unanimously ratified the format for the 2005 Club World Championship at a meeting in London on Sunday, 29 February - following the recommendation made by the relevant organising committee in Zurich on 19 February 2004.

Within this ratification, there was a decision about Gibraltar.

- Decided that if Gibraltar officially applied for membership, it could not be admitted as a member according to the FIFA Statutes.

No particular statute was quoted or reason given about this decision! I looked at the FIFA Statutes and found this:

FIFA Statutes state:

Article 3 Non-discrimination and stance against racism

Discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or groups of people on account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.

The FIFA Statutes are available in PDF Format and can be downloaded for viewing here.

Now, it has previously been reported in the Press, that the exclusion of Gibraltar may be because of our National status. It has also been alleged that it is because of the Spanish FA’s lobbying of FIFA’s Executive Committee, not to allow the GFA’s membership. Whatever the reason is, either on the grounds of National status or discrimination by another Member Association, it is on flimsy ground, clearly breaking FIFA’s own rules… and most unfair to Gibraltar!

If Andorra, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, Grenadines, Guam, Faeroe Islands, Liechtenstein, Palestine, Samoa, San Marino, Solomon Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Turks and Caicos Islands and the US Virgin Islands, all of whom have dubious individual national status belonging or being part of other countries, can be Associate Members of FIFA, why not Gibraltar? Where is FIFA’s “fair play” now??

The GFA are putting together a Petition to be submitted to UEFA and FIFA…. The Petition is available online. Over 600 signatures, from Gibraltar and all over the World have been collected to date!

Here’s a couple of comments from the Petition website, I thought of interest:

Both UEFA and FIFA have been manipulated by the Spanish Football Federation in order to get their own way. It not only happens on the football front but with every sporting event Gibraltarians want to compete in. It’ time for both UEFA and FIFA to wake up and smell the rose and accept the Gibraltar Football Association as a member!!

Keep politics OUT of sport! Do not allow spain to deny us our rights, there are other non-independent staes in UEFA (e.g. England, Scotland, Faroe Islands). If spain gets upset, LET THEM. Their threats to withdraw are hollow posturing……UEFA & FIFA tournaments are worth too much money for them. All Gibraltar asks is to have the same criteria applied as all others.

There are many others worth reading, including from the USA, Guatemala, Mexico, even surprisingly, Paraguay!

If you feel FIFA and UEFA’s decisions, to continue to bar Gibraltar from their Membership, is unfair, please visit the Online Petition website and signup! It will only take you a couple of minutes and will help the GFA’s cause greatly.

I shall be forwarding this post to FIFA and UEFA for their comment. If you have a view, why not add your comments here. Just click on the ‘Comment’ link below.

Thanks in advance!!